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A few weeks ago I met up with my friend Lynsey for some gossip and some South/Southeast Asian street food from Rickshaw Bar on Queen Street West.

We met up at 5:30pm only to realize the restaurant did not open until 6:00pm. I understand why the restaurant opens at 6 o’clock, but you would think they would try to capture the immediate after-work-crowd? I guess there isn’t an after-work-crowd in that area? We loitered outside on Queen Street for half an hour, people and dog watching, and leaning on hipster bikes. We were seated quickly and there was only one other couple who made the same mistake as us. The restaurant filled very quickly, and by about 7 o’clock it was full.

The restaurant is very simple: smooth concrete floors, simple wooden tables, exposed brick walls with traces of graffiti and tagging, a long dark bar running the length of the restaurant and industrial copper pipe lighting. We were seated at the first table of the long row of banquette seating and were ready to enjoy some food. Like many restaurants in Toronto, Rickshaw is a sharing/tapas style restaurant so we were able to sample across the menu.

I have to mention our server. Or servers with an “s” I should say. When we were first seated, Server #1 seemed great. He was engaging, excited about the food and made suggestions on the menu. He was understanding about my allergies and checked with the kitchen regarding preparation and accommodation of this. Ok, great. A great server can be the difference in feeling comfortable, safe and happy while dining out with an allergy, especially when you have a nut allergy at an Asian restaurant. We tried to order various beef-related dishes (Ismaili beef curry, khao shay, Makai curry) but everything with beef is prepared with cashews and therefore is off-limits to me. Server #1 didn’t make this connection that all the beef is prepared together and that this might be an issue. He had to return to the kitchen several times to confirm if beef dishes contained nuts. We tried to order the khao shay which he said might contain nuts and he would check with the kitchen. He asked for a substitute order in case the khao shay contained nuts so we requested the lamb mishkaki. SERVER #1 NEVER CAME BACK. Not to tell us that yes, in fact because the khao shay is prepared with all the other beef and it will have nuts or that because of this, he had put in our alternate order. FINE.

Then Server #2 came to our table and asked if we would like anything else. We said Server #1 was checking on something for us and that we had another order coming. Server #2 offered to check on that for us. Server #2 actually came back and said no, your replacement order was never put in with the kitchen and no, you unfortunately you cannot order anything with beef because all beef is prepared together. From that point on, Server #2 was our server. I don’t know how or why this switch occurred but I am glad it did. He took care of us for the rest of our meal. He brought us the lamb mishkaki and our desserts. I left a larger tip then I normally would because we were abandoned and then saved by Server #2.

This is a beautiful and simple dish. I love the bowl it is served on with its low sides and leaf-like shape, transporting you to a South-East Asian jungle, as if you are enjoying street food, roadside on the edge of a dark and mysterious jungle on a giant tropical leaf from the trees contained in the jungle. The puffs of rice are crunchy, light and with a slightly nuttiness from the rice. The scallop tartare is almost non-existent. You get a bite of fishiness, none of the texture or butteriness of scallops and then it is overwhelmed by spicy citrusy notes. I did enjoy this but it will not satisfy scallop or tartare cravings your may have.

These were delicious. They were very similar in texture and taste to the squash fritters at Sabai Sabai. The vegetables were grated into thick strands that were then battered and fried. The coating was crispy, light and not greasy. It didn’t overwhelm the subtle flavours of the potato and zucchini. The natural flavours of the vegetables were able to compliment the batter, and offer the first tastes of summer. The chutney was fruity and played up the bright flavours of the zucchini.

This was my favourite dish of the night. The broth was creamy and thick from the coconut milk and had a touch of sweetness to it. The sweetness mellowed the spiciness of the dish, which allowed the spices to gradually build and the flavor to slowly intensify. Hidden in the luscious broth were tender pieces of chicken that fell part so easily when grazed by a fork or spoon. Ordering rice on the side allows the broth and chicken come together as more of a cohesive whole on a bed of rice, making it more of an entrée rather than a soup. Don’t order the rice if you want to eat as much as possible and not fill up on plain carbs.

Lamb is one of those meats that I have a difficult relationship with. No, it has nothing to do with ethical reasons (I am a horrible person, I know. Did I mention I love veal?) it is the flavor. I don’t mind the taste, I just always forget what it tastes like. Whenever I have the first bite of something with lamb I think “oh right, that is what lamb tastes like.” But that did not happen this time. This time I LOVED the lamb.

It was tender and soft, and had a lighter flavor to it. The lamb is marinated in yogurt which gives it a bit of sweetness and adds to the tenderness. The chimichurri added a floral brightness to the lamb and the naan was a crispy yet doughy plate for it all to sit on. If you like lamb, you definitely need to order this. And if you are like me and you are not sure if you like lamb, you will like it like this.

Although we were absolutely stuffed, we of course ordered dessert. Lynsey had the crispy milk pastry and I had the coconut panna cotta.

Crispy milk pastry with milk, cardamom, almonds and rose petals and the coconut panna cotta with coconut, pineapple and lime.

The panna cotta was light, milky with hints of tropical fruit. It was absolutely delicious and easily rivals any traditional Italian panna cotta I’ve eaten. Although I was absolutely stuffed this did not push me over the edge.

Our meal at Rickshaw was delicious and I would definitely return. The food is accessible but still different from both your every day cuisine and traditional South East Asian food. It expands your horizon to what street food can be and transport you to the crowded street markets of Asia with every bite.

Two weeks ago I went to Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar with my friend Lynsey. Sabai Sabai (it would be awkward to shorten this to SS, cheap right?) is a Thai restaurant that offers small sharing plates, to mimic a tapas-style restaurant rather than your stereotypical giant bowls of noodles. The restaurant is by the same chef, Nuit Regular, who owns Khao San Road and her parents help run Sukhothai.

The restaurant is at the corner of Church and Dundas which is a sketchy area but don’t let that deter you from trying it. While I walked there I was accompanied by a lovely group of crackheads who were J-walking across Dundas despite one of them wearing a walking casting. They were also yelling profanities at the streetcar that had obviously done something to offend them. It added to the whole experience.

The restaurant looks small from the street but once inside, the space is quite expansive. To the left of the entrance there is a long, high-top table with seating for 8. A bar runs half the length of the restaurant and the rest of the restaurant is occupied by a combination of tables and booths.

We were seated at a small table halfway to the back of the restaurant. When we were seated the host said that they needed the table back for an 8 o’clock reservation. It was 5:30 when we were seated. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in a restaurant because a huge part of me vacating a table by the time you need it back is based on your service. Yes, I agree to not dawdle over the menu but you must also agree to bring me menus, drinks, food and bill in a prompt and timely manner. It also makes me feel rushed and anxious, like I have no right to enjoy my meal because someone far more important is coming soon.

We started off with a pitcher of Thai Long Island Iced Tea. Similar to your traditional Long Island Iced Tea (with gin, vodka, rum, tequila and triple sec) the Sabai Sabai version features homemade Thai tea sour rather than Coke. There is sweetness and a subtle herby taste to the cocktail and it drinks very easily. A pitcher split between two people will leave you a bit wobbly.

Once we were feeling the affects of our drinks we order three plates to share. First we enjoyed the freshly grated squash fritters with tamarin dip.

This is an item that features peanuts but can easily be removed as they are sprinkled in the tamarin dip. If you are worried about enjoying Thai food with a peanut allergy, I would recommend a visit to Sabai Sabai. Upon making reservations, the restaurant asked if there were any allergies, made note and advised that we tell our server upon arrival. When we told our server that there was an allergy at the table she assured us that it would not be a problem and that this was something they were very familiar in dealing with. The only moment of concern was when someone other than our server brought out the fritters and said “which table has the peanut allergy? Uhhh… yea, this is the one without peanuts.” Despite his lack of confidence he was correct and I have lived to tell the tale. The menu also features very few items that actually contain peanuts.

The squash fritters were crispy but not greasy or heavy. They retained the juiciness of squash and highlighted the floral undertones in squash usually only tasted in the flowers of the plant. I loved the simple, slightly chaotic presentation of this dish. The fritters are tangled up in each other, falling apart with ever pull of a delicious next taste. The tamarind dip adds a slight nutty spice to the fritters but doesn’t overwhelm the delicate flavor or texture.

This is an amazing sausage. Sausages are typical heavy and greasy but this is light and fresh. The use of lemongrass and other spices/herbs add a light, citrus taste to the sausage. The sausage is served sliced and seared, giving nice crispy edges to every bite. The sausage is served with a dipping sauce which further highlights the citrus tones of the dish.

The Khao soi.

The Khao soi with coconut milk, egg noodles and chicken.

The Khao soi can be ordered with beef, shrimp or chicken but I feel like the curry sweetness works best with chicken. The bowl is loaded with broth that is sweet and creamy from the coconut milk and spicy from the curry. The noodles tangle at the bottom of the bowl and wrap soaked pieces of chicken in their netting. The crispy noodles add a needed crunch to the dish which breaks up the simple soft texture of the noodles and chicken and adds a depth of texture to the dish.

This is a hard dish to share as scooping tangle noodles and broth proves difficult but it is worth it – or you could have an order to yourself and no one would judge because it is so delicious.

Because we are greedy and glutinous we decided to order another dish after devouring our three. It was a debate between the vegetable spring rolls and the deep fried garlic shrimp. Our server suggested the shrimp, not just because there were no more springs rolls but because it was also one of her favourite dishes. The shrimp is incredibly crispy which is delicious but it doesn’t retain much of the flavor and texture of shrimp. As advertised, garlic is the only prevalent flavor in the dish which made it my least favourite (but still delicious) dish tried that night due to its simplicity in flavor and concept.

This restaurant is another hit by Nuit Regular. I definitely will be visiting again and hopefully this time with no run-ins from crackheads.

If you are contemplating getting a new job and you are unsure whether or not you should take the plunge, hospital you only need one reason: food and drink. The number of dinners and drinks people have wanted to share with me since the announcement of my new job is ridiculously amazing. There are drinks to celebrating getting the job, order then drinks to celebrate leaving the job, drinks to celebrate the new job and then drinks to celebrate how the new job is going.

Last night Cynthia and I caught up about my new job over beers and food at A3 Napoli. A3 Napoli is a joint venture between the people behind Pizzeria Libretto and Porchetta & Co., two of my favourite Italian spots in the city. It is a little restaurant located in Little Italy, a neighbourhood I seldom venture to; when you live with an 85-year old Italian woman why would you bother?